Blood of our Children
by Necronicus
Summary: First Contact is made with a much younger Humanity, yet it isn't a pleasant one. A death sentence upon Humanity, and the destruction of their home-world. But the Council will known, how adaptable and merciless Humanity can be, when the blood starts to flow...Very, very dark. Heavy AU.
1. History of the Dead

_**Disclaimer: Mass effect is the property of Bioware and EA.**_

_**Never think that war, no matter how necessary, nor how justified, is not a crime. **_ ~Ernest Hemingway

_In 2037, a joint Asarian-Salarian Expedition Ship makes a discovery in the reaches of Citadel Space, discovering a dormant mass relay, near the edge and activate it. Although being forbidden by Council-law, to do so; these somewhat young and eager explorers are driven by a quest for the unknown, and funded by an unknown Citadel diplomat aswell._

_They discover the system H-7Q, years later to be known as the Sol system. And on the third planet from the sun, they discover the race known as Humans._

_Initial contact with humanity is somewhat hostile and disturbing, yet the crew manages to open talks with the leaders of humanity, and relay this message to the Citadel Council._

_While the Asari Councilor Tevos is happy to discover a race similar to them by views and appearances, and the Salarian Councilor Maran are ecstatic about the discover of a new, premature-space age race. The Turian Councilor Larceus, an old general and very conservative politician however is a bit disturbed, with the 'humanity' being close to turian borders and not wanting to avoid another Krogan Rebellion, fears coming from having been relayed the history of Humanity._

_Despite skepticism, the Council send a diplomatic envoy to the planet 'Earth'. However the Turian Councilor Larceus sends a 'protection' patrol aswell under the command of General Archus Arterius._

_Despite somewhat 'warm' welcomes before, talks between the Citadel envoy and the UN, turn cold with the orbiting of the turian patrol fleet. Some humans even claim an invasion by the 'Council'. Talks continue to sour down during the two years. Humanity wanting to retain their independence, not be subjugated to the Council rule. The Council themselves disturbed by humanities history of warfare, and it's huge stockpile of nuclear arnaments by a single planet._

_Talks continue and sour for another year, with envoy's being escorted by turian guards. A salarian STG operative warns, that a war may be imminent with the humans, yet his warnings are dismissed due to the Council's so called 'strength' and 'technological' superiority. Yet on a autumn day in 2040 all hell breaks loose, near the UN with a minor scrutiny between a human protest group and turian guards unit, ending with two guards with minor injuries and a six humans dead. This incident sparks the fire, that had been waiting for three years, with humanities xenophobia being unleashed._

_A war between the Council-Humanity has began, with hundreds of humans assaulting the UN. General Archus Arterius deploys soldiers to evacuate the Council envoy at any cost. This end with atleast three turians dead, six injured and about fifty humans dead; but with the envoy evacuated. Called the 'UN Massacre', the US retaliates immediately with nuclear missles, destroying two turian frigates, and crippling a cruiser, before General Arterius, pulls his ships away from the human missles. He then commisions the 'pacification' of the humans._

_What was predicted to be a quick assignment, turns into a massacre for the turians: humanities war machine having been revved up, and the once splintered humanity being united very quickly against the turian 'invaders'._

_Fightings drag for months, turians having the better firepower, yet being stuck in an unknown enviroment, and being heavily outnumbered. Rumours start to spread about General Arteriuses's mentality, yet he remains due to his experience with humanity. Fightings continue, humanity using their numbers to overwhelm turian positions, despite using bullets, they do their work in massive quanities. _

_Predictions are made: pacifying humanity may take about 70,000 turian lives, due to humanity being adaptable and spread out. But the last nail to the General's mentality comes from a report of humans wielding reverse-engineered mass accelarators, with intelligence of humans starting to develop starships from destroyed turian transports, and the downed turian frigate._

_In 2141, the Council-Humanity war comes to an extreme end. General Archus Arterius, sending an iron-platinum-tungsten rich meteor hurling towards Earth. Killing Humanity and destroying the garden world, the meteor inducing a 'nuclear-like' dust winter upon the planet. Salarian scientists conclude the planet to be covered for 1000 years, destroying the eco-system and blocking out 95% of the sun's rays._

_Total casualties for the war are: 6365 turians dead, along with 8 asari and 3 salarian espionage and biotic supports. Yet the political backlash is predicted to be even higher: opening of a dormant mass relay and usage of a Tier I WMD by the Turian Hierarchy on a garden world, and failure to remove an unstable general from combat. After several debates, the Council agrees to simply leave the system; colonizing the system feeling unethical and dangerous from a political point. _

_Journey's and information about H-7Q are classified and closed, with the Council-Human war, 'officially' never happened, as well as the Turian Councilor Larceus resigning._

_H-7Q system, declared officially to having a neutron star in the system, with journey's to H-7Q being forbidden, and a permanent turian patrol stationed to the other side of the H-7Q relay, hiding the biggest plunder and darkest secret of the Council: the Sol system, and humanity._

_A hundred years pass, and the H-7Q relay remains quiet, former soldiers die, and other's forget about that dreaded system. By 2157, the H-7Q is known as a unhospitable system, circled by a neutron star, that had destroyed a turian patrol, sent to find an overly curious research vessel, and acts as a warning to opening dormant relays. Also inspiring many fantasy tales to many species, ideas about the H-7Q system and the neutron star. Everyone oblivious to the truth..._

_And on the planet Nerva, an asari colony near relay 314. The children of the Council's blood will flow, for the sin's of the before, shall take vengeance on the present, and fear will shatter anyone in their way. __**The Black Legion has arrived.**_

**A/N: Will continue beyond the First Contact War, to ME1 upto ME3, if I'm feeling like it. Heavily AU, yet will follow canon ideas.**


	2. Vengeance

_**Disclaimer: Mass effect is the property of Bioware and EA.**_

_**Asari colony, Nerva.**_

A loud ringing broke the silence, of the morning, in the home of Ta'vira, a young asari in the Nerva law enforcement, and the most boring job, you could pick up on this specific colony.

„Uh. Morning already?" asks Ta'vira waking up, checking the time on her omni-tool. „Ohh. I can sleep a few more…hours."

But her added snooze, was soon, suddenly interupted by a rude call, coming in.

„Ta'vira. TA'VIRA! I know you're still sleeping. Get your lazy up, I'm not covering for you again," came a heavy turian voice.

„Goddess, Lakesis," she replied yawning loudly. „It's the darn morning. And nothing much happens on the job. It's been like…what? One week since, a krogan started that fight. You can handle the minor patrol routes."

„Not this time. Get your blue ass up and get to work," replied Lakesis, cutting the transmission.

„Ohhhh. I hate that turian," she replied, throwing a robe on her and going to the kitchen, yawning again. „Goddess, nothing ever happens here."

A few hours later, a pissed looking turian, with yellow clan markings was waiting outside the house of a very late and lazy asari, named Ta'vira.

„Oh _Spirits_. Why do I put up with her?" asked the turian, shaking it's head and clicking it's mandibles.

Soon enough, a certain asari, started to exit the, 3-story apartment complex, still looking sleepy.

„Finally. This the…thirty-seventh time you've slept in," sayed Lakesis, very annoyed by the asari, getting into the patrol vehicle.

„C'mon Lakesis. Nothing EVER happens here," replied Ta'vira casually. „I mean, from small-pickpocketers, and the occasional odd-robber, this is by far the quietest region in citadel space."

„Doesn't give you the right, to sleep in like a varren," replied Lakesis, which he got a elbow jab by the asari. „Ow. Very mature."

„Why thank you," replied the asari smirking.

'Two-hundred fifty years of age, and she still acts like a child. Long-living wisdom my plated ass,' though Lakesis.

Although still annoyed by Ta'vira, Lakesis couldn't agree that Nerva, was a pretty quiet colony. Sure it was in the edge of Citadel space, and near a dormant relay. It was pretty much, a pleasant place to be. Turian ships made frequent patrols around here, and this region had almost zero pirate activity. He chuckled for a moment…yeah life was good here.

„Oh by the Godess," sayed Ta'vira suddenly.

„Who, what?"

„Look," pointed Ta'vira at turian, surrounded by a small group, shoving of something on his omni-tool. „Illegal gambling. Looks like we snatched the prize of the week."

Lakesis could only shake his head at this comment, before pulling the vehicle to a stop, near the group, then exiting with Ta'vira.

"Alright, what do we have here?" asked Lakesis, eyeing the turian con-man.

"Uhhh. Nothing," he replied, hiding his arms behind his back.

"We're not stupid. So just hand over omni-tool and maybe you'll avoid, spending the night in jail," sayed Ta'vira, leaning on the patrol vehicle.

A few glances between the asari and turian, and the con-man soon handed over his omni-tool, trembling a bit.

"Seriously?" asked Ta'vira, checking out the data, with her own omni-tool. "Illegal ta'lening?"

"It's just extra money, untill I can get another job," sayed the now panicking turian, con-man.

"Ohhhhhhh. You're pathetic," replied Ta'vira, wiping out the omni-tool memory, before throwing it back to the con-man. "Don't let us catch you again. Understand?"

"Ye-yes," he replied, taking off faster than a starving krogan.

"Why did you do that?" asked Lakesis, confused.

"I'd guess, bringing him in wasn't worth the two credits he stole," sayed Ta'vira.

"Oh why do I even bother?" he replied, getting back inside the vehicle.

"Cause you like me?"

By far, their patrol route went on without, anything interesting happening

"Cause you like me?"

For the remainder of their day, their patrol route went on without anything interesting happening, even being they patroled the largest town, in the small 20,000 people large colony.

At the moment Te'vira was sitting behind her desk in the the office, filing some documents on her datapad, while Lakesis was drinking some apha.

'Five more minutes and I can get outta here,' though Ta'vira, counting each second.

"No? Alright then, will...nono, will send someone to check it out," sayed their captain Hevnah, an asari, answering a distress call.

"Problems, cap?" asked Lakesis, sipping on his drink.

"Yeah, I got the odd-wierdo, hanging out in the outskirts of the town," replied the asari.

"In this rain?" asked Ta'vira, gesturing at the down-pour that was coming.

"I could care less, but I've gotten atleast three calls. Same wierdo, just standing in the field, not moving or anything."

"Guess someone, tried the wrong eezo," chuckled Karal, another tealish asari.

"Whatever...just...someone go check it out," sighed the captain.

"I can go," sayed Lakesis, finishing his apha.

"Guess I'll come too, dying from boredom here," added Karal.

"Hey, can you drop me off at the cafe? I wouldn't want to ruin my favorite jacket in this rain," asked Ta'vira, grabbing her jacket.

"Why not?" asked Lakesis sarcastically, earning him a flick on the crest. "Not funny."

Soon after dropping off Ta'vira, Lakesis made his way to the outskirts of the town, looking for the mysterious wierdo. "Spirits, I can't see in this rain."

"Over there," sayed Karal, pointing to his left at a figure in the distance.

"Thank you," sayed Lakesis, turning the vehicle around.

They soon saw someone standing in the rain, covered in black armor, just staring at the ground, hands next to its sides.

"Probably a quarian," sayed Lakesis, seeing that the figure was wearing a weird breathing mask: two breathing vents by its sides, a black tinted vizor and a helmet, all seemed to be welded together. 'What's next?'

"Excuse me?..Sir?" asked Karal, stepping outside into the rain, seeing that it lacked the mammal glands, for a female. "Are you alright."

'He' soon raised 'his' head, whispering something, that was blocked by the rain.

"What did you say?" asked Karal again, in the rain.

_"Blood for blood_,_" _he sayed louder, his vizor glowing blood red; then punching her straight in the face, cracking bones and sending her reeling onto the ground.

"HEY! WHAT ARE Y-" asked Lakesis, jumping outta the vehicle, yet was interupted by a unearthly roar. A loud buzzing sound soon followed, and before he could react, a crimson glowing blade was soon struck into his abdomen by the creature.

"Da..mn," he managed to say, staring into those red orbs, yet it yanked the blade soon out, sending Lakesis to his knees. Then snapped his neck.

"Godess...god-AAH," screamed out Karal, getting her hand crushed under an armored boot, while trying to call for help. Then getting pulled up by her neck, the armored gauntlet squeezing her windpipe. "W..w..hy?"

_"Vengeance," _replied a mechanically sounding voice, then thrusting its crimson blade into her throat.

A bunch of glowing red eyes, soon started to appear from inside the rain, black armored bodies soon following them. Each one looking the same, with a red skull patch on their right shoulder.

They then stood next to eachother, seven total, then started to walk towards the town.

"Hey cap'n, seems our wierdo grew some legs and friends," sayed Harksus, checking out a video feed.

"What are you talking about?" asked Hevnah, coming over, she saw seven of them, all walking in a straight column. "What are-OH GODESS!"

To her horror, something she wouldn't think would happen here, the figures, drew their weapons and started firing...at everyone.

"EVERYONE! MOVE! WE'VE GOT A CODE RED! OUTSIDE!" yelled Hevnah, running to the armory.

As soon as Hevnah got outside, with her officers, she saw a sight, worse than what even Omega's pirate could do. Three with handguns, two with rifles, killing anything that moved: with rounds, crimson wristblades or burned by fire.

"DEFENSE! Protect the civil-," sayed Hevnah, before getting interupted by mass accelerated rounds, killing a turian, and injuring two asari.

"C'mon get up! You'll li-," she sayed, before both started screaming in pain, their wounds started to sizzle and dissolve..._chemical rounds_. "Go.. ."

"Captain! We're getting killed here! We gotta retreat!" yelled Harksus, covering her.

She barely nodded her head, conjuring up a barrier. "GET INSIDE! Those rounds will kill you!" she yelled out. _Godess help us all._

Down the street, Ta'vira was enjoying her irkahberry buns, and Thessia wine, ignorant to the massacre outside.

"Waiter! Another pastry, please," she sayed.

"Coming right up," replied a young asari.

"Thank you," replied Ta'vira, leaning back in her chair, but her relaxing was soon interupted by another patron.

"Hey! Something's happening outside," sayed a turian, without markings, looking outside the window.

'What now?' thought Ta'vira, getting up from her seat, looking outside...which probably saved her life. An armored figure soon dashed past the window, a red vizor looking into her eyes. She could see a canister hurling towards them, shattering the window, and releasing a blackish gas...and then Ta'vira saw the patrons drop dead.

'DAMN!' she screamed in her mind, jumping out the window, into the rain. There she saw the bodies, fighting, screams and the six figures...killing everyone, and the unearthly roar following them; that shook Ta'vira to the core.

"TA'VIRA! GET OVER HERE!" screamed her captain, keeping up the biotic barrier.

Ta'vira could barely register the carnage, what was going on, but got up and started to run towards the barrier; praying not to get shot.

While running, she could see one of the armored killers, running towards her captain on the roof, crimson blade drawn.

"CAP'N!" managed Ta'vira to scream out, sending a Shockwave straight at the killer; sending 'it' mid-air, flying into a nearby shop.

"Ta'vira, Harksus, Saelon. Check it out!" sayed Hevnah, throwing Ta'vira a sidearm.

Arriving at the shop, Ta'vira could see that she had thrown the black figure, straight threw five tables, the glass window and into the wall.

"Is 'it' dead?" asked Ta'vira keeping her sidearm at the body.

"Saelon, check!"

The salarian, managed to take only a few steps, before the thing, opened its crimson eyes. Before any of them could react, it already managed to grab the salarian and drive a fist into its stomach, followed by a strange point-blank shot, from its wrist. A few seconds, and Ta'vira could see Saleon go up in flames.

Even Harksus, wasn't a match, it seemed to be faster and stronger than him. With every strike she could hear bones break, and then in a blink, snapped Harksus's neck and threw his body at her, and jumped out the shop.

"HEVNAH!" screamed out Ta'vira, trying to warn her captain. See could see Hevnah, looking at her, before a loud BANG broke the contact, the barrier and her captains life.

"_Hevnah,"_ she whispered, pushing Harksus's body off her. Yet the sight outside was far worse. They were losing, to the six killers, and they showed no mercy.

"Damn YOU!" screamed out Ta'vira, firing her gun at the attackers. Yet to her horror, every round she fired did nothing...but they seemed to have no shields...or did they? Soon to her horror her gun overheated and she herself got shot.

Grasping at her bleeding shoulder, all Ta'vira now could think was running...and run she did. She didn't care about the rest. Only that she could live.

She barely made it into an alley, shoulder bleeding, legs getting weaker.

"Hello! He..lp, we're under attack," sayed Ta'vira, into her omni-tool, trying to calling for aid.

_We're under attack...their everywhere...our town is burning...they're too fast...I can't bre...we're gonna die..._

"God..ess," sayed Ta'vira, shutting off her omni-tool. 'They've attacked everyone...oh...G..'

She realized too late, that the rounds we're likely toxic, as her body started to trash about...and she got shot by one, and as her life passed on she could still see those red eyes, staring from the alley.

_**Orbit around Nerva**_

As they watched, the massacre happening on surface, you could almost hear a pin drop in the deathly silence. Their soldiers shot at everyone: no exceptions, by town, by species or by age. None of them voiced out their objections at this killing or show remorse...because they had none, for the Council races.

"Report," sayed the captain, coming inside the pitch-black CC, his face hidden by the shadows.

"Weaponry effective. Council tehnology, weaponry still same; minor improvments only detected," sayed a technician, without emotion.

"Casualties?"

"None."

"Good; arm Ashfire missles. Engage second phase. One Rogue operative to stay behind for observation."

"Understood."

'It's time you burned Council scum,' thought the captain, a red cyber-eye glowing in the dark.

_**Ten hours later**_

If turian's could cry, Nihlus would cry; despite his training and experience, this was something, that even a crazy batarian slaver in his best moments wouldn't come up with. The bodies were everywhere, killed where they stood. By gas, stabbed, burned, shot or limbs broken; whoever attacked the colony, showed no compassion. They wanted this colony dead, and by the body count...they succeded.

"Any..any survivours?" asked the turian spectre.

A STG operative shook his head. "All 20,000 bodies found..somewhat. All dead."

"That's impossible! Someone had to survive!"

"Negative; all killed. Town's decimated."

"What about the wilds?" asked Nihlus.

"...Dead, by radiation poisoning," replied the salarian.

"...How?..." asked Nihlus, realizing that nobody survived.

"Most shot by polonium rounds, irridated, chemical rounds...or toxic rounds."

_'Spirits_!' thought Nihlus. "What else?"

"Stab wound burns similar to those of an Omni-blade. Gas unknown; shut down respritory system."

"What about her?" asked Nihlus, pointing at the body of an asari, a law enforcement.

"Hmm," mumbled the salarian, checking her ID on his omni-tool. "Captain Nevnah...damage done...by a high-powered round, pierced armor...massive damage to soft tissue...rounds appear...to be a titanium-tungsten-"

"Harpoon rounds," interupted Nihlus."

"Highly-likely."

"I've seen only in my life, ONCE, someone use these rounds...and he's been in prison for a long time."

"What about the people in the woods?" asked Nihlus.

"...Killed by radiation...caused by the dispersion of radiated sodium."

"Sodium, radiated?"

"Yes..cheap to make, very deadly to ecosystem, and organics...very unethical."

'_What kind of unholy monsters, would do such a thing?' _asked Nihlus, from himself.

"CAPTAIN! We found an intact Control panel!" yelled a salarian, a few feet away.

'_Thank Spirits. Now we could find the murderers.'_

Running after the salarian, neither Nihlus nor the salarian or asari's noticed that far away, somebody was watching them.

_**Outskirts**_

Oh...how easy it would be, to run up to that turian, and easily snap his neck, burn the salarians with her flamethrower, and killed the rest with her gun. But she didn't even need to sneak about to kill them. Rogue operatives had the best cloaking in **The Black Legion**, they would be dead, before they realized someone was here..

'Too easy,' thought Hannah, to kill the _so_ called Council's best, spill their blood; strike fear right into their hearts...she could almost smell the blood under her mask. _Kill, die...no, calm down._

She breathed out, calming her bloodlust down, she had her orders, and this would strike fear right into the Council themselves.

Oh...the look on their faces, was priceless, _their _designated Control panel, that had _regular _video feed, yet filled with an extra nasty suprise. She chuckled at the sight like they've seen a daemon from hell.

Yet, what the Council did would be worthy with a vengeance straight from hell. The bastard's who turned their planet into a barren wasteland, killed their future...made her little Shepard grow up in an underground vault, on a dead planet.

'Damn them all,' growled Hannah, but vengeance will belong to them, and _their_ homeworlds will burn as theirs burned.

Her train of thought, was broken by turian _Spectre's_ movement, obviously seeing something, that he didn't like, and running to his precious _Council_ like a dog.

Hannah ran to a pair of bushes, throwing away the leaves, and typing a few command on her wristpad. Soon enough, a jet-black fighter, uncloaked.

"Command; they took the bait," sayed Hannah, into the comm, strapping into the fighter.

_"Understood; follow them...and unleash Nemesis."_

"Yes, Sir," replied Hannah, grinning maliciously.

**A/N: History will be revealed in later stories; and **_**humanities**_** strength, will come from a very dark-sided corner of Humanity.**


	3. Death Coming

_**Disclaimer: Mass effect is the property of Bioware and EA.**_

**A/N: Sorry folks about my grammar, I'll try to write better. Also I don't have a beta reader; because I can't find anybody to my suiting, and this more just of a hobby, which I'd like to keep it that way.**

_Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars._

_**Khalil Gibran**_

_**Council Chamber's**_

In the Council Chamber, where three councilors: Spartacus of the Turian Hierarchy, Tevos of the Asari Republic's and Valern of the Salarian Union; three leaders of the most powerful species in the known galaxy, were currently reviewing the attacks on Nerva. And by the looks, they weren't happy.

Tevos looked like, she was gonna faint any minute. Valern was thinking like crazy. And Spartacus was pure angry, shaken that a colony this close to Turian patrol routes was attacked, and the scale of the attack.

"Tevos?" asked Valern. "Suggest we take a break; you look like you caught a deadly disease.

"I'll be fine," replied Tevos, closing the datapad. "Godess, such a ruthless attack."

"Indeed," replied Valern.

"I warned you, that a colony like that was prime target for a pirate raid," said Sparatus.

"That is uncalled for!" replied Valern. "This colony was far away from any pirate bases, or known pirate territories."

"Excactly. Perfect target for an attack: no military garrisons, small militia, not even a colony fleet."

"Spartacus," sighed Tevos. "We aren't all-militaristic, we can't guard every colony like your people, due to cultural and economic reasons."

'Politics,' grumbled Sparatus.

"Who would do such a thing?" asked Tevos from her fellow councillors.

"Pirates, mercenaries, slavers," said Sparatus.

"Maybe," replied Valern, a bit skeptical due to the sheer scale of the attack.

Just about then, Nihlus Kryik, a well decorated Spectre had arrived at the Chambers, yet not looking pleased at all.

"Spectre!" said Sparatus. "What have you found out?"

"I...well...uhh," Nihlus sighed. "There isn't any way to describe what I saw. I'll say that if a _Spirit of the Dead_, existed then his insane, soulless brother destroyed the colony."

"This isn't the time for jokes," said Sparatus angry.

"I'm not," replied Nihlus.

"Destroyed?" asked Tevos, scared.

"Yes," the Spectre sighed. "No survivours."

"Unlikely! Someone had to survive," said Valern.

"No!" Nihlus replied. "All accounted for; nobody alive."

"Didn't some of the colonists manage to escape into the wilds?" asked Tevos.

"They did...only to be killed by radiation," replied Nihlus sadly, which he could see made the asari cry.

"What else, did you find out?" asked Valern.

"Rounds that killed colonists were either: chemical, toxic or irridated; we also found several victims killed by harpoon rounds, aswell."

"Pirates," growled Sparatus silently.

"The wilds, themselves were destroyed by radiated sodium; apparently a cheap, very unethical WMD," said Nihlus. "Also I managed to salvage a Control Panel core."

He pulled out a small disk from his pocket, presenting it to the Councilors.

"This is it?" asked Sparatus, examining the disk.

"I'm afraid so, all other Control Panels were either smashed, wiped clean, extracted of all data, or plainly destroyed."

"Let's see, who are these killers," said Sparatus, inserting the disk.

A feed came online of the Nerva capital. This seemed to be a recording before the attack.

"Hold on," said Nihlus, forwading the vid, until he saw _them_. He finally stopped, until a figure appeared on the vid...then it all went black.

"What?" asked Nihlus puzzled, checking.

"What's the meaning of this?" asked Sparatus.

"It isn't me," replied Nihlus, until he heard marching sounds coming from the vid.

They all turned to the vid, from which the marching sound came from. Everything was black, yet slowly red eyes started to appear; then the shadows of figures, aswell. A sign of a marching army, which up to two-hundred eyes made up.

'What in _Spirits_?' thought Nihlus, feeling fear creep up his spine.

Then the marching stopped, the figures staring ominously.

"What does-" asked Tevos, before covering her ears, an unearthly roar coming from the vid.

She looked up, as soon as the screaming stopped, staring at the blank screen again, yet this time, words were written in red.

_Blood will flow_

"This a plain mock-" said Sparatus, before a explosion interupted him.

"VIRUS ALERT!" said Nihlus, his omni-tool flaring up with warnings.

"What! How?!" asked Tevos, shocked.

"Unknown!" replied Nihlus, calling C-Sec.

_"Yeah?"_

"Executor Pallin, we got a virtual virus on the loose! Stop IT!"

_"Understood."_

Nihlus, was in full Spectre-mode, weapon drawn and ready. No doubt, someone was after the Council.

_**Outside the Citadel**_

As big and _magnificent_ the 'Citadel' was, Hannah could only see it as the _throne _of the Citadel dogs, and this _place_ would one day be conquered or destroyed. She was suprised that the Council hadn't detected her yet. Her nimble fighter, had a cloaking system though, making her ship invisible to the naked eye, and designed to filter out any 'space noise', that could be detected. But so far she was a ghost. Despite her cloaking, she wasn't planning to get close to one of those Dreadnoughts, no matter how good the egg-heads said these were. No she kept herself at the minimum required distance.

Soon enough, a program started beebing in her cockpit, signaling _Nemesis_, had been unleashed.

'How stupid, can you be?' thought Hannah, typing on her wristpad, unleashing the second part of _Nemesis_, called _Hades Dogs_.

"Eat this _Council,_" laughed Hannah.

For Nihlus, it wasn't a good day: witness to a colony attack, seeing something that would even him, a well decorated Spectre shiver, and protecting the three most powerful leaders in the known universe, and doing it _alone_.

_"Nihlus? You there?"_

"Give me sone answers, Pallin!" said Nihlus.

_"The virus isn't infecting anything. It's destroying and corrupting data."_

"That's bad!"

_"Yes! We can't halt it! It keeps smashing through or outmanevouring our cyber-defenses. Like it's getting smarter by the second."_

'Wait! Smarter? DISK!' realized Nihlus, aiming his gun at the Turian Councilors console. "GET OUT OF THE WAY!"

As soon as the Councilor got away, he unleashed round by rounds, until his gun overheated, and the console destroyed.

"Pallin?" he asked into the comm.

_"Whatever you did Nihlus, that virus just dropped dead in it's track, good work.."_

"This was no mere virus," replied Nihlus, going over to the destroyed console.

"WHAT IN _SPIRITS_, WERE YOU DOING?!" asked a furious Sparatus.

"AI," replied Nihlus, yanking a half-smashed disk from the console.

"What?" asked Tevos.

"This!" he said, showing the destroyed disk. "Someone unleashed a rouge AI, upon us."

"Godess," mumbled Tevos.

"Spectre Nihlus. I'm ordering you to find, these _terrorists_, and eliminate _them_," said Sparatus, angrier than ever.

"Yes, Sir," replied Nihlus, starting to leave the Chambers, C-Sec officers flowing inside. Yet he had doubts, if _he _could stop these _terrorists_, he saw the unaltered vid, those killers; and if _they_ could do this, then _Spirits_ protect them all.

Outside the Citadel, Hannah could barely keep herself from laughing. The idiots had taken back the device, and plugged it into a Councilor's console. She had hoped for a Spectre's terminal not this. Numerous amounts of data were transfering to her ships hard-drive, Hades's Dogs worked fast.

A few red lights lit up soon enough, signaling Nemesis had been taken out.

"Fun while it lasted," she said, reconfiguring Hades's Dogs to passive mode, then piloting her fighter out of here.

She glanced at the tiny picture near her firing controls. Her little Shepard was now ten, and today she was going to Purgatory. A fitting start for _us_ and _her_.

_**Unknown location near the Eastern Seaboard, Earth**_

Rachel was getting tired from the long walking, constant dust-storms, sea-sickness and...everything.

'Why did we have to leave submarine,' she thought, but knew that Purgatory was further in-land, away from the sea.

Since, **Black Day**, Earth was _very_ different, from what she had read. The beautiful, lush greenlands were barren. The blue sea, was a red-black one now, contaminated from the large amounts of metals in it. Only submarines could traverse the planet now, and usually in deep waters, where some sea-life existed, everything else topside was dead. Dust-storms ravaged the planet, picking up metal particles, turning them into hurricanes of destruction, shredding everything in their path. Making living on-top impossible, not that anyone could, it was almost pitch-darkness, nothing shone, except for the red glow, from their masks.

"Help!" said one of the trainees, tripping into a man-hole, snapping Rachel out of her pondering.

"Hold on," she said, running over to the boy, catching his hand before he slipped and pulling him out.

"Excellent work, recruit Rachel Shepard," said their leader, the only adult in the group, clapping, an Assault. "Let this be reminder to the rest of you. Always help you fellow brethren, we aren't much, everybody counts! Am I clear?"

"Yes, Sir," said their one and a half dozen sized group.

"Good! Move out, stay together, and watch where you step," he said, continuing their journey.

"Thanks. _Coniuncti ultionis?" _asked the boy.

"Coniuncti ultionis," she replied. _United by Vengeance_, motto of the Black Legion.

Their journey continued for another hour, before they arrived.

_**Purgatory**_

Purgatory didn't look much, a facility like the remaining ones on Earth. Yet here the Black Legion created, trained...and modified.

They decended many floors, until they arrived at Purgatory, two massive gates blocking their entrance, a large red skull painted on one of the doors.

"Welcome to Purgatory," said their leader, as the two black metal gates slid open.

Entering and after decon, Rachel could see Purgatory: it was different from the other vaults, being that it looked more high-tech. It had black iridecent walls and crimson lighting. They stopped near the end, two hallways spanning eachside.

"Assassins, Rogue's to right, Enforcers and Assaults to the left," said their groups leader.

Rachel went to the right, she had studied and trained to be a Rogue, like her mother, and she was gonna be one.

"Alright Doc, we ready?" asked the groups leader, going into a separate room, which had monitors, four designated: Assault, Assassin, Enforcer and Rogue. Other screen were black, but he knew that they would light up soon.

"Indeed," replied a middle-aged man with a grey beard, who seemed to stuck in a wheel-chair.

"I heard you been improving? Is that true?" he asked from the scientist.

"Indeed we have. This never serum, is much more stable and procedures are more safe," he replied typing on a keyboard.

"Yeah," he said, slamming his hand on the table, startling the scientist. "Cause I remeber that years ago, and we both know what happened to that bunch."

"Not to worry, we have stabilized it. No more...scarring or extra discomforts...we started from scratch. We didn't how they would work," he said calming himself.

"Good," he replied.

"Alright, starting sequences," he said typing on the keyboard, starting the various programs. "Starting Assault sequences. Starting Assassin sequences. Starting Enforcer sequences. Starting Rogue sequences."

On the four designated screens, the Assault could see the kids, on various chairs, and he knew what would come next.

"Injecting nanites," said the scientist. "20%! 50%! 89%! 100%!"

Soon enough the remaining screens lit up, sending in information about the kids health states, all seemed normal.

"Iniating, second phase."

The Assault could see the various fluxes of the kids, all different, because from here on they would be different from the next, but still be human inside.

"Second phase completed," said the scientist, after thirty minutes. "Prep-up for Forces Sequence Phaste Two."

The Assault in the room stuttered a little, Forces Sequence Phaste Two or they could just put it: the implants and cybernetic upgrade phase.

_**Codex:**_

**The Black Legion**** – the name taken up by Humanity after the Human-Council wars. Consisting of the remainder of Humanity; of up-to 90% of being army personnel and the remaining 10% being the rest of Humanity, doing the remaining jobs needed to keep them afloat. The Black Legion is a foe to be feared, it has no rules. Ethics and moralities have disappeared all-together, they utilize any weapons, no matter the 'extra' casualties, no matter the cost. They wield weapons that pre-war Humanity wouldn't even in their worst dream use, but those days have passed and the Black Legion doesn't weep, it kills. It's armed forces consist of Assault, Assassin, Enforcer and Rogue elite troops, each being a deadly adversary and more than a match for any Council operatives.**

**Assault – the backbone of the The Black Legion. The Assault's are a balanced type, having basic cloaking, moderate armoring, shielding and augmentation, with twin FX-3's for close-combat. Weapon of choice being the CAR-6, a lethal weapon against any unarmored force, or any target without shielding.**

**Assassin – the long-range support of The Black Legion. The Assassins have the second best cloaking in the Legion, able to suppress any external noise, keeping them almost naked to the eye, and undetectable by radar. However they have the lowest armoring and augmentation, making them easy targets on the open battlefield. They wield twin Arc-blades for close-combat, and the HCD-7 for long-range.**

**Enforcer – the armored juggernauts of The Black Legion. The tanks, armored mechs and inhuman ram's are some of the names of the Enforcer. Having the strongest armoring, shielding and augmentation makes the a foe to fear. Their enhanced strength being almost equal to that of a Krogan, but being faster. They lack cloaking and weapons, instead fighting close-range with their Arc-blade and FX-3, easily shredding any weaker eneny before them.**

**Rogue - the hidden saboteurs and shadow killers of The Black Legion. Having the best cloaking, they are literally ghosts: undetectable, uncatchable. Augmentation, shielding and armoring being below an Assault, yet their augmentation focusing on speed and reflexes, being only below an Enforcer's. Their weapon of choice being the RTP-097, or one-shotters, for close-combat an Arc-blade and FX-3.**

**Weapons:**

**CAR- 6: Chemically Augmented Rifle. The choice weapon of the Assault, firing mass-accelerated rounds coated with lethal chemicals, eating away any armor or flesh in its way.**

**HCD-7: High Caliber Destroyer. The heavy sniper rifle used by Assassins. Using Ravager(Harpoon) rounds, and weaponry designed to accelerate any round to its logically possible velocity, the HCD-7 smashes through most barriers, shielding, armor and flesh. Usually leaving their targets with a large gaping hole.**

**RTP-097: Radiation/Toxic ammo Pistol. Known as the one-shotter, flesh-eater or civvy-killer, firing Pollonium or rounds coated with deadly organisms and viruses. They are a lethal firearm, killing any unarmored beings, without medical aid in minutes. Favored by the Rogue's.**

**FX-3: a wrist-mounted flamethrower, used as a group disperser. Can be used as a close-combat weapon, firing the liquid napalm slug, straight into a foe, setting them on-fire.**

**Arc-blade: a crimson colored wristblade, made using the same construct from the Omni-blade, only minituarized and improved.**

**Augmentations: nanomites in the blood of Black Legion soldiers, made to strengthen and increase their skills beyond normal human means, as well as stabilize the cybernetics and implants in their bodies. They also grant the soldiers to go overdrive: temporarily increasing their already super-human states even more.**

**A/N: There you go people. Pardon, but having some major writers block here. In a nutshell, Humanity is a bunch of no-rules space ninjas, killing anything in their way. **

**And those who think Humanity **_**might**_** be OP, I say that Humanity has abandoned all morality, ethics are lost, and they WILL use weapons and technology, that the Council wouldn't even look at. So there :-P**

**Please review.**


	4. Death Arrived

_**Disclaimer: Mass effect is the property of Bioware and EA.**_

Hannah couldn't be more pleased with herself, mission completed, a substantial amount of data acquired, and a nasty suprise delivered straight to the Councilor's doorstep. It was moments like this, that made the experienced Rogue wonder how did the Council ever defeat them. Then it hits her...they didn't! Rather than face the power of the human will, they opted to pretty much nuke them, with the biggest thing they could get their hands on: a meteor. Guess they should've double-checked their handywork, since the only thing they wiped out were the innocents: men, women, children, young, old, weak. They destroyed their future, their planet...and Hannah would make them pay.

Her fighter soon enough arrived at its destination: the _Arcturus Armada_. While to someone else, it would seem like an empty vastness of space, in truth, cloaked there was the navy of The Black Legion. She didn't know the exact number, about two dozen craft, minus the fighters, made up the Arcturus Armada. But in her opinion, if the truth fit the bill, the Armada could take on any fleet twice or quadruple its size.

She arrived at the dockin bay of the carrier _the Maledict_, the command vessel on the Arcturus Armada.

**XXX**

Admiral Johan _Crimson_ Hurst, wasn't much of patient man. He expected things to done, perfectly and quickly, he had no time to sit on his ass. His crew knew that, the Arcturus Armada knew it, the entire Black Legion knew it. By far the only ranked Admiral, yet one who didn't jerk around. Admiral Hurst demanded results, and he received them, anybody questioning his authority ended up with a broken wrist in the infirmary, no less expected from an ex-Enforcer.

He rubbed the right part of his face, near his eye, feeling the cybernetical eye. From where he got his nickname, and his nasty reputation. The Augmentations were bound to mess with them, yet their generation got the messed version of it.

His office was soon greeted by 1st Lieutenant Hannah Shepard, and despite having her mask on, the Admiral could guess that Lieutenant was smiling under her mask.

"Report!" he said, taking a seat, gesturing for her to do the same.

"Success! Nemesis performed beyond our expectations...inserted into a Councilor's Panel," she said.

"Excellent," replied the Admiral, smiling. "Hades Dogs?"

"Here," she said, producing two data-chips. "Dog-1 performed with 63% performance: economy hacked into, credits obtained, banks infiltrated. Say the word, and we can pull the plug on their _precious _way-of-life."

"No problems with Dog-1?" he asked.

"Negative," she replied. "Nemesis wiped out their firewalls. Council didn't expect someone, using a rouge AI computer-virus on their systems, almost zero stopping power on their side."

"Dog-2?" he asked.

"Performed with 17% performance: hacked the military databases, fleet locations and patrol routes acquired. However full fleet number unknown, aswell as other military information, due to Nemesis being shut-down."

"No matter," waved the Admiral off. "Main objectives secured, mission complete. I'm promoting you to Staff Lieutenant, effective immediately."

"Thank you, Sir," replied Hannah, saluting the Admiral.

"Considering the success of the mission. I'd say a one week of leave has been earned?" he said.

Hannah froze up at the mention of leave. She could go visit her little girl.

"Is there a problem?" asked the Admiral.

"No, Sir! Thank you for this opportunity, Sir!" she replied.

"You're welcome, Lieutenant. A Hessel transport vessel is heading for Earth, I'd guess you could catch a ride," said the Admiral smiling.

Hannah replied with a nod, saluted him and left his office, leaving Admiral _Crimson_ Hurst, alone with the data. How easy it would be for him...a single order and he could crash down the entire banking system of the Council. But no...not yet, they won't get away so easily.

**XXX**

Nihlus Kryik was currently, hold up inside Chora's Den, nursing a bad nerve with some strong Turian ale. Years serving, and not once did have to come down _here _to nurse a nervous break, but he needed one at the moment. These _terrorists_ were far dangerous, to what he had ever seen in his long Spectre career. They had a technological superiority and a ruthlessness to add to the mix. Like putting the Blood Pack and Eclipse together. Nihlus shuttered at that thought, taking another sip of his drink. Problem being: they had some very nasty and high-tech weaponry, merciless and for a kick, he didn't know where to start looking for them.

"Well know. Didn't expect to find you here," came a voice, behind him. His best friend and co, Saren Arterius.

"Hey Saren," he replied. "What are you doing here?"

"Looking around. Heard you got a mission, something unique and unknown," said Saren.

"You don't know the half of it. Remember Nerva?" he asked.

"Yeah. Heard it got attacked by pirates," replied Saren.

"Officially. Unofficially it looked like, whoever attacked it, may but even the Krogan blood-rage to shame," he said.

"That bad?" asked Saren, curious.

"Much worse. Killers who had the tech to wipe an entire colony away, and hack the Council's database," he replied, somberly. "And I gotta go hunt them down."

"I could aid you on this mission," said Saren.

"You would?" he asked suprised.

"I've just finished my last assignment, and the Council hasn't ordered me on any new ones either. I could help a friend out," said Saren.

"Thanks mate," he replied, slapping him on shoulder.

"Not a problem," replied Saren, then smacking the drink out of his hand. "And stop drinking. It messes up your aim."

**XXX**

Their vengeance had finally began, their blood-debt will be payed, _their _lives and _their _homes will now burn and now their fury would spread, around the galaxy. The Council will know true fear, silently creeping up on them, then cracking them in the back.

Every soldier was ready, every weapon polished, every gun calibrated, every plan thought out. A world, appearing in their view, another target to burn.

**XXX**

Three days had passed since the Nerva colony was attacked. Investigations were under-way, but normal life had returned to the Citadel.

"This is...purely mind-games...the Volus have served...the galaxy for ages...and still...you deny us...a Council seat," spoke the Volus ambassador.

'Oh, again with the Volus,' sighed Tevos, but this was the day-to-day politics of the Citadel: please ones, block the others.

"Councilor's!" yelled Executor Pallin, barging inside.

"What is the mea-"

"You have to see something!" he interupted, typing on his omni-tool. "This has just been uploaded onto the Extranet."

_Our forces are...they just came from the sky...I shot them sixteen times...fast...they shot everyone: kids, old, young...they came at us like a plaque...unstoppable...this is our end._

A nightmare, as Tevos saw it. Vid after vid, dozens of them, all filled with _them_. Black armor, black masks, red eyes. Nothing was stopping them, soldiers fell to them, civilians murdered by them. She saw a live vid of a thermonuclear bomb go off in an unknown city, cruiser and frigates blowing up to unknown assailants. They were merciless and efficient. Another live-vid soon appeared.

"This is Fa'vira, from ASN. Here on Asedus," said an asari reporter. "Now officer Fecius, what can you tell us about these attackers?"

"Well as far as I'm concerned, there are only a few attackers, nothing we can't handle," replied a turian with purple markings.

"They're coming!" yelled an asari officer, running upto Fecius.

"Stay back Ma'am," said the turian, pushing her back a few feet.

No sooner did a black armor jump out of the corner, slashing and killing two officers with its crimson blade. Then it saw them, and started to charge at them.

"Fire!" yelled the turian, as the two mass-accelators spewed their payload.

To their horror, the figure still kept charging, blade drawn.

"Fire! Fire! Fire!" yelled the asari, still pulling the trigger.

Soon came a sound, neither of them wanted to hear, overheated.

"Shit!" said the asari, the being only meters away. But then the asari unleashed her biotics, sending a powerful Shockwave at the figure, sending it flying thirty meters back.

"Well...that was more action, than you hoped for," said the turian, relaxing.

"That...thing was scary," said the reporter.

"Nothing a few rounds and biotics can't stop," replied the asari officer.

"Well, there you have. For ASN, I-" she finished, until she fell down, from an unearthly scream.

"GRRREEAAA!" came a scream, to their horror, it was the same figure. Only this it was closing in faster...at them.

"Godess..." she managed to mutter, before the turian got impaled through its gut.

Then it grabbed the asari officer by her arm, smashing her around into the ground, then threw her limp body away.

Finally the reporter herself got grabbed by her neck, the figure staring at her, then at the bot-camera.

"Nono...please...I have...NO! NOO...guh!" the reporter screamed, before getting her throat slashed out, blood spraying. It soon grabbed the camera, before smashing it under its foot.

In her long political career, Tevos could say, this would be her first time: when she fainted right, next to her fellow Councilor's. Yet what she saw, just now, could in her opinion send any cut-throated asari politician reeling.

**XXX**

**Codex: Ships**

**Arcturus Armada -** The combined fleet of The Black Legion. Consisting of about twenty-five battle-ready and dangerous ships of human design. Each ship, having a kinetic barrier and high-cloaking, out-fitted with very dangerous, and unethical weapons.

**Frigates:** 10

**Cruisers:** 6

**Supply Vessels:** 5

**Destroyers:** 3

**Carrier:** 1

**Dreadnought:** 0 (Under construction)

**XXX**

**Frigate -** light escort and scouting vessels. Outfitted with cloaking and non-reflective black carbon-nanotube plating, making them undetectable except for high-end sensors. Their weaponry consisting of Nuclear Torpedos. Weaponry outfitted with nuclear warheads and made space-flight worthy, carrying enough payload to wipe out any Council frigate or cruiser.

**Cruiser -** middle-weight combatants, faster than dreadnoughts, and more heavily-armed than frigates. The Black Legion cruisers carry the same mass accelarator cannons as the Council's, yet outfitted with the black plating as their frigates and cloaking. They are the main defenders of the Arcturus Armada, but carrying a deadly planet-destroyer weapon: Ashfire missles. A weapon designed to contaminate a large area with radiated sodium, dispersed via high-explosive missle.

**Supply Vessel -** Ships, about the size of a regular cruiser, filling in the supplying, needs of the Arcturus Armads. Unarmored, but carrying the best cloaking system in the Black Legion, being almost as fast as a frigate. Managing: mining/resupply, medical, transport, repairing and food stocks in the Arcturus Armada.

**Destroyer -** middle-weight combatants, faster than cruisers, and more heavily-armed than cruisers, yet less-armored. Utilizing their faster speed and deadly payload, they are used as dreadnought killers. Having GARDIAN defense system and cloaking, using the most unethical weapon in Humanities grasp, a Nanomite Warmissle. Consisting of highly-unstable, self-replicating nanobots, manufactured to chew through any substance, literally eating a ship apart.

**Carrier -** dreadnought-sized vessels that also carry large numbers of fighters into battle. Currently the Black Legion has constructed only one carrier to date, _the Maledict_ command ship of the Black Legion. Both the carrier and fighters having a cloaking system.

**XXX**

**A/N: Sorry people, writers block wont leave me.**

**Please review.**


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